School funds approved

In a rare display of unanimity, voters at the special town meeting on Monday, Jan. 24 breezed through six warrant articles, approving all with no dissenting votes.

Voters agreed to petition the state legislature to allow the town to use the balance of bonds that were sold to finance the construction of the Glenwood Elementary School and use it to pay non-bonded debt. After the state-required legislative approval, the $621,552 balance will go back into the General Fund and be used over a three year period to pay down debt and interest that was not subject to debt exclusions on the school construction costs.

Funds to conduct a feasibility study in order to perform roof repairs and replace windows and a boiler at the Naqaug Elementary School were approved at $14,800. The study will be performed under the direction of the Wachusett Regional School Building Committee. The town may be eligible for a grant from the Massachusett School Building Authority in performing the repairs.

One further step was approved to determine a future for the Primary Building. Voters approved $4,000 so the town can request proposals from anyone who is interested in buying the long vacant building. Prospective buyers must put together a package stating their proposed use of the building and the amount they are offering to pay, Thomas Dufault, chair of the Primary Building Study Committee said.

Accepting donations from the Volunteer Fire Brigade took up the last few minutes of the meeting. A kitchen stove and convection oven valued at $5,500, an intravenous infusion system valued at $2,500 and two ice rescue suits costing $1,200 were approved by voters for public safety use.

The special town meeting was originally scheduled for Jan.18, a day when school was cancelled due to snow. A robo-call that informed parents of school closings also mistakenly announced the cancellation of the special town meeting scheduled for that evening.

The result was 17 residents, mostly town officials, gathered that evening in the freezing rain outside the locked Naquag Elementary School. In order to properly reschedule the meeting, the group had to approve a motion to move the date to Jan. 24. The town requires only a quorum of 10 to conduct business, so the new date could be approved by the group that was there.